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Government Services

DigiLocker: What It Is and Which Documents Are Legally Valid

DigiLocker is the government's document wallet. Documents in its Issued Documents section, such as a DL, RC or PAN, count as originals under Rule 9A.

AS

Written by Aarav Sharma

Published 3 October 2026·6 min read

On this page8 sections
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DigiLocker is the Government of India’s online document wallet, run under the Ministry of Electronics and IT. Government bodies, boards and universities push digitally signed copies of your documents into it, and these count as originals under Rule 9A of the Digital Locker Rules. Scans you upload yourself are only a personal backup.

Key facts

Item Detail
Run by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
Legal basis Rule 9A, Information Technology (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries Providing Digital Locker Facilities) Rules, 2016, under the IT Act, 2000
Registered users Over 73.53 crore (PIB, September 2026)
Documents issued 936.03 crore
Onboarded issuers 2,822 (PIB, July 2026)
Personal storage 1 GB for uploads; 10 MB per file
Sign-in Mobile number or Aadhaar, OTP and a 6-digit security PIN
Cost Free website and app

What DigiLocker is

A DigiLocker account is tied to you, not your family. Each person needs a separate account, verified with their own Aadhaar, to fetch documents issued in their name. One mobile number can hold up to five Aadhaar-verified accounts but only one unverified account.

Documents do not sit in DigiLocker as copies in most cases. The Issued Documents section holds links to the issuer’s own records. When a bank or office opens the link, it reaches the source record directly, and Rule 9A says that counts as automatic verification.

DigiLocker only shows what the issuer holds. A wrong spelling or a missing marksheet has to be fixed by the issuing board, university or department, not by DigiLocker.

Issued documents vs uploads

Issued documents Uploaded documents
Who adds them The issuing authority, when you pull them You, as scans or photos
Digital signature Yes, the issuer’s No
Legal status At par with the original under Rule 9A A personal copy; the holder of the record decides whether to accept it
Examples Driving licence, vehicle RC, PAN, Aadhaar, CBSE and university marksheets Old certificates not yet issued digitally, rent agreements
Can you edit? No; only the issuer can update them Yes; you can delete and replace

If your college has not issued its degree or migration certificate on DigiLocker, you can upload a scan. That scan does not carry the Rule 9A status. DigiLocker’s answer is to ask the institution to make its records available through the National Academic Depository (NAD).

Where DigiLocker documents are accepted

ItemDetails
Traffic checks.In August 2018, the Road Transport Ministry advised states to accept a driving licence, RC or other documents shown through DigiLocker or mParivahan as valid under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, at par with those issued by transport offices.
Bank and financial KYC.The RBI’s KYC Master Direction accepts an “equivalent e-document”, which includes documents issued to your digital locker account. The bank must verify the digital signature and take a live photo.
PAN applications.The Income Tax Department’s Instant e-PAN service can fetch documents from DigiLocker, with your consent, as proof of date of birth. Our guide to instant e-PAN through Aadhaar walks through it.
Government services.DigiLocker says digitally signed issued documents are valid under the IT Act when used electronically and should be accepted as proof.

Acceptance on the ground is still uneven. DigiLocker’s own answers to users admit that some officials and traffic police still ask for paper, and say it is working to improve awareness. Carry the physical document when a lot rides on it, such as an exam hall or a court.

Adding a DL, PAN and vehicle RC

  1. Go to digilocker.gov.in or open the DigiLocker app and click Sign Up.
  2. Enter your mobile number, verify the OTP, and set a 6-digit security PIN.
  3. Link your Aadhaar. Your name on other documents must match the name in Aadhaar, or DigiLocker will not fetch them.
  4. Click Search Documents, choose the issuer, and select the document.
  5. For a driving licence, choose Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, then Driving Licence Verification Record, and enter your licence number.
  6. For a vehicle RC, choose the same ministry, pick the Registration of Vehicles record, and enter your registration number.
  7. For PAN, choose Income Tax Department and the PAN Verification Record. The details are fetched from the department.
  8. Click Get Document. It then appears under Issued Documents.

A licence linked to a different mobile number can still be fetched this way, according to DigiLocker’s help answers. If PAN fails with a name mismatch, correct the PAN first; our page on PAN and Aadhaar linking covers the usual causes. Marksheets and migration certificates are found under your board or university in Search Documents.

Account security and deletion

DigiLocker lists these safeguards: OTP, biometric and PIN checks at sign-up and sign-in, 2048-bit SSL encryption, ISO 27001-certified hosting, automatic logout after inactivity, and regular audits by CERT-In empanelled agencies. Your data is shared only with your consent, and every access is logged in your activity history.

  • Never share your security PIN or OTP. DigiLocker does not need them to verify a document for someone else.
  • If you forget the PIN, click Forgot security PIN on the sign-in page and verify with your Aadhaar or mobile number and date of birth.
  • Keep your Aadhaar-linked mobile number current, since Aadhaar OTPs go there. See our guide to the Aadhaar mobile number update.

DigiLocker’s Terms of Use say you can remove your account and related data at any time. Download anything you need first. For help, use the DigiLocker helpdesk at support.digilocker.gov.in or write to helpdesk@negd.in.

Frequently asked questions

What is DigiLocker used for?

It holds government-issued documents such as your driving licence, RC, PAN and marksheets in digital form. You can show or share them instead of paper copies.

Is a driving licence in DigiLocker valid?

Yes. The Road Transport Ministry’s 2018 advisory asked states to accept a DL shown through DigiLocker or mParivahan as valid under the Motor Vehicles Act.

Is a PAN card in DigiLocker valid?

The PAN Verification Record in Issued Documents is digitally signed, so it counts as an original under Rule 9A when used electronically.

Are uploaded documents legally valid?

No. Only issued documents carry Rule 9A status. Uploads are your own scans.

Why can’t I find my migration certificate?

Your university has probably not issued it to DigiLocker. Ask it to upload records through NAD, or upload a scan for your own reference.

Can I make one DigiLocker account for my whole family?

No. Each person needs an account verified with their own Aadhaar. One mobile number can hold up to five verified accounts.

How much storage does DigiLocker give?

1 GB for uploads, with a 10 MB limit per file. Issued documents do not use this space.

Sources

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